Deut 5-9

5.
God is merciful to all those who follow His commandments. He will bless them with long life (physical and eternal) and all will be well.

The Ten Commandments are reiterated again. The order of these commandments itself indicate how our relationships should be prioritised. The first four relate to our relationship with God, the next with Family, and then our relationships with others.

- Thou shalt not worship other gods.
- Thou shalt not make graven images and worship it.
- Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord in vain.
- Honour the Sabbath and keep it holy.
- Honour thy father and mother, so that your days will be prolonged and you will be blessed.
- Thou shalt not kill.
- Thou shalt not commit adultery.
- Thou shalt not steal.
- Thou shalt not bear false witness.
- Thou shalt not covet.

6.
These commandments, given to the Israelites and to us (who follow the Lord), is to guide us to fear, obey, and serve the Lord, so that our lives will be prosperous and be prolonged- not just on earth, but in heaven also. We should do what is right and good in His sight (and not according to our perceptions, which are often flawed and shortsighted), so that all will be well.

The Lord our God is the only one Lord, for there aren’t any other gods. And our love for the Lord should be wholehearted and committed- with all our heart, all our mind, and all our soul. We shouldn’t tempt Him. This is the primary command.

The Lord’s words should be constantly meditated upon and should accompany us at all times. He will give us possessions which we didn’t build, earn, or toil hard for: cities, riches, wells, and vineyards. But during that time of wealth and prosperity, we shouldn’t forget the Lord who brought us out of the bondage of sin and various difficult times, who fought for us against our enemies, and who gave us all these rich possessions.

7.
When the Lord fights for us, He doesn’t target and vanquish the weak enemies, but those who are stronger and mightier than us. And we aren’t to cower in fright or to sit somewhere, lazily watching the TV, but to go out into the battlefield and to fight with all gusto, knowing that He is supporting us. We shouldn’t ever fear our mighty enemies but remember about the Lord’s strength and how He has helped us so far.

There a bit of ecosystem wisdom (v.22): how the enemies aren’t dealt with at once, but gradually, so that the wild beasts mayn’t increase and attack us!

We shouldn’t stray from the Lord- for He has specifically chosen us as His holy and special people. He chose us not because of any special or strong traits which we had/have (for we have none!), but because He loved us and brought/redeemed us with a mighty hand. He is faithful and merciful to all who love Him. If we follow His commandments, He will love us, bless us, multiply us, and bless all our efforts. Enemies/problems are delivered into our hands so that we can obliterate them.

8.
God rescued us from the bondage and servitude (of sin) and brought us to freedom. This was no easy journey- for He led us through great and terrible wildernesses (with serpents and scorpions) and through lands of drought. Such a journey, if embarked by an individual, would result in an utter failure. However, God sustained us. In the case of the Israelites, He quenched their thirst by providing water out of a rock of flint, he effaced their hunger by feeding them with manna (the realisation that man cannot live by bread or by material goods alone but needs the Word in order to live (v.3)). During that time in the wilderness, their garments didn’t soil neither did the feet hurt with all the walking.

I am sure that, if we glance back at our life, we too have had many experiences which resonate with the Israelites’ journey and how God sustained us through these.

The 40 years of additional wandering in the wilderness was to humble us, to prove us, to know what was in our heart- whether we will follow His commandments or not. It was a time of chastening, a mandatory process which only serves to help later- but only a Father chastens his son. But He brings us to an excellent, well-watered, and fertile land (which lacks nothing), and we are showered with multiple blessings. But we can maintain these blessings only if we follow the Lord’s commandments, walk in His ways, and fear Him. We are warned not to forget God during the time of plenty, not to become proud, nor to think that we achieve fame/power because of our own talents. It is God who gives us power and might to amass wealth, and so we must praise Him when we partake in enjoying all these wealth/material goods.

Numbers 30, 32, 34; Deuteronomy 1-4

30.
There is a stress on the seriousness we should give to our vows to God.

32.
Following the Lord should be done wholeheartedly: this is exactly why Caleb and Joshua were blessed and were invested with God’s power, authority, and the land.

34.
Although God had given a certain inheritance to the Israelites, they never possessed it to the full extent, even during the Age of the Kings. Our inheritance is the promised eternal inheritance which can never perish, spoil, or fade.

Deuteronomy

1.
God faithfully keeps His promises. He had promised the land to the fathers, and not only does He do it, He has also multiplied them. Because of His faithfulness and integrity, we shouldn’t fear, neither be discouraged.

God is just. In fact, He tells the Israelites not to be respecters of persons, and that the large and the small should be treated equally.

In the case of the Israelites, God guided them through the wilderness, just like a father taking care of his son. He went before them, showing the way and finding the perfect and comfortable places to pitch their tents. Even in the wilderness, the Israelites lacked nothing because of God, who had also blessed the works of their hands. Yet, they repeatedly disobeyed and rebelled against God and His advices, with disastrous consequences. The fact remains that God knows the best way and we should obey Him wholeheartedly.

Sometimes, God’s will includes fighting with enemies- but we do so with His obvious encouragement, and thus we should never be discouraged or fearful. But in the Israelites’ dealings with the people of Seir, God advises them not to meddle with them and not to covet their lands, but to buy food and drink.

2.
We might expect a bed of roses with God on our side. It’s a far cry from that. We may expect to make friends and have people rejoice upon seeing us. But there are many who fear and tremble, and thus might try to sting us.

3.
Even when we have fearsome enemies and daunting problems, we needn’t fear- for the Lord will take care of us! This advice is given to Joshua who is told not to fear his mighty opponents, but to realise that the Lord will fight for them.
Now, having God fighting for us doesn’t mean sitting on an armchair and relaxing while He did the fighting- no, Joshua fought and the Lord worked His power through him.

4.
We are a chosen and great nation- for we have God close to us, we have the authority to call upon Him at any time, and we follow righteous commandments instituted by God.

Life (both physical and eternal) and the ability to possess and sustain blessings are ensured by following God’s commandments, taking care of our soul, and cleaving to Him. We shouldn’t amend the commandments according to our whims and fancies. God’s word is wisdom and understanding.

We shouldn’t make and worship graven images. Although this might not be generally applicable in the literal sense in the western world, this also means that we shouldn’t worship the modern graven images such as wealth, fame, power, and the like.

God has brought us out of the captivity of sin so that we will worship Him and claim inheritance. He has constantly appeared in our life so that we will believe in Him. If we seek the Lord, with all our heart and with all our soul, we will find Him. Even in times of trouble and persecution, if we remain obedient and turn to God (instead of turning to solutions which the human mind would ordinarily devise), He being merciful, will not forsake or destroy us, or forget the promise which He made to us. He is with us, so that we can overcome our problems and claim our rightful inheritance.